It’s safe to say that the buzz words “chill,” “relaxing,” and “new age” are deeply embedded in the very DNA of the sounds of Oakland’s Inner Islands, if not only within the digital metadata. Sean Conrad’s roster doesn’t add any hypnagogic or trendy variations on the tried and true ambient and new ages tropes; rather, it expands upon the healing, meditative roots of the genre. Sure, you can pop an edible and get all hepped-up, but my takeaway from the label’s offerings is the sounds of meditation; of mental, bodily, and spiritual renewal.
And, as with with the passing of the calendar and the turning of the seasons, so too arrives a dispatch of fresh tunes from the label. The first takes the shape of Scenes of Scapes, from Horiuchi, Japan’s Kenji Kihara. The deep serenity of field recordings and “lush, drifting compositions” is enough to make your mouth water. Put this one on after a stressful day and watch the anxiety of the daily grind melt away.
The second release comes from Conrad’s own Ashan project. Far Drift Afield is, as the label perfectly describes, “perhaps the most mellow, serene, and ambiguous collection in the Ashan catalogue to date.” Soothing tones from guitar, piano, and a collection of various percussion instruments and effects, and that’s all you need for this set of give slow burning sonic mindfulness sessions.
Both tapes are available now, either through the Inner Islands web store or the label’s Bandcamp. Enjoy as you drift off to a peaceful place, and return a calmer, more focused you : )
Scenes of Scapes tracklisting:
01. Early Summer
02. Blue Indigo
03. Sunny Spot
04. Nagi
05. Inner Light
06. Astronomical
07. End of Summer
Far Drift Afield tracklisting:
01. Far Drift Afield
02. Wind of Wishes
03. Gladly Given
04. Stillness, That Voice
05. Long Along Sky
More about: Ashan, Kenji Kihara
